This invention relates to a heating assembly of the type in which an electrical resistance heating element is disposed in a radiant tube.
A heating assembly of this general type is disclosed in Kastilahn et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,053. In that assembly, the heating element is in the form of an elongated graphite rod. It has been found that during shipment or transport of the heating assembly, the graphite heating element vibrates and may reach a harmonic that causes the graphite to break or crack. Moreover, this problem may occur whether the heating assembly is packaged and shipped independently of the furnace in which it is ultimately used or whether the assembly is shipped pre-installed in the furnace.